From innocent photos and videos, to stories about wild weekends out on the town, the typical person's Facebook or Myspace profile can provide a plethora of information about who they are. But is this the information you would want an employer to see? Probably not.

As the number of users on social networking sites has increased in recent years, so too has the amount of information people feel comfortable sharing online. Unfortunately for many job applicants, an increasing number of employers are realizing this as well, which is why many are now checking out prospective applicant's social networking profiles before making a job offer.

What does this mean for you? For starters, it means that the party pictures and R-rated rants you have posted online could have a damaging effect on your career prospects. And since information posted online is never truly gone forever—even once the delete button has been pushed—it means innocent mistakes you make today could impact your job search years into the future. According to a recent report by CareerBuilder.com, 63 percent of hiring managers said they have decided not to a hire a job applicant specifically because of the material they found on his or her social networking page.

Of course, social networking is not all bad news, at least so long as you know how to use it to your advantage. A few rules of thumb when it comes to utilizing social networking sites:

Less is More

Does anyone really need to see photos of you posing provocatively or read a list of your 25 most embarrassing moments? The likely answer is no. If you really feel the need to put private information and photos of yourself on a public social networking site, heed the motto less is more and try to post as little information as possible. In addition, it may be wise to change your profile setting to "private" for a better—although not foolproof—chance of keeping sensitive information away from employers.

See Your Profile Through An Employer's Eyes

Still not sure what's wrong with the party pictures you posted? Try thinking about the situation through the eyes of a hiring manager. Would you rather hire someone who spends their weekends partying, or someone who posts pictures of their academic achievements and lists their interests as keeping up with current events? When editing your profile, keep this standard in mind whether you are currently looking for a job or not since you will likely be applying for a job sometime in the future, and any information you post online now could come back to haunt you.

Check in Frequently

Just because you did not post anything negative on your profile, does not mean one of your online friends hasn't. Check over your social networking pages frequently to see what others have written in your comments section, or what photos they have posted of you online, since employers can just as easily see this information as anything you posted yourself.

Use Social Networking to Your Advantage

Despite the negatives, social networking sites are not all bad. In fact, thanks to sites such as LinkedIn, a number of job seekers are actually using online networking to their advantage by connecting with possible career contacts, searching job openings, and posting their resumes online. When used correctly, social networking sites can be great a resource for job seekers looking for positions in today's tough economy.

Overall, it is important to note that basic common sense goes a long way in considering which information to post online. Remember that once you have posted something on a social networking site, it can never be fully erased, which is why it is critical that today's job seekers use discretion and caution when creating their public image on the internet.

Article Resources

CareerBuilder.com
PayScale
NYTimes
ExtraNews.net